Supporters of Social Circle drag strip hold first meeting

Citizens for the motorsports complex are striving to "educate" the public on the facility

The Citizens for the Motorsports Complex had their first official meeting on Monday night. The group is composed of residents and automobile aficionados who are in support of the proposed Social Circle drag strip.

Donnie Clack, the petitioner who wants to build the drag strip off Interstate 20, doesn't like to call the site a drag strip, because he believes the motorsports complex has more to offer the community than just the track.

Clack held the meeting to rally the supporters for the site, and to help educate the public about what the effects of the motorsports complex would really be. Clack believes that detractors of the site have blown some of the issues of of proportion, but does acknowledge that some concerns are valid, such as noise, and has engineers working on the issue before it comes to a vote by the Social Circle planning and zoning commission in February.

The planning and zoning commission will be holding a work session next Monday, Jan. 25, at 6 p.m. to hold a hearing on the issue. The meeting is open to the public, but only representatives from both sides pre-selected by the commission will be invited to speak.

Clack stated that he wanted all the meetings of the Citizens for the Motorsports Complex to be honest and open, and he invited anyone to attend, whether they support the site or oppose it.

The group will meet again next Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the Jersey Community Center, located off Jersey Social Circle Road in Walton County. The group plans to have a Web site operational by then. For more on this story, please see Wednesday's edition of The Covington News.